Hearts Bound for America
by Kari Twilight Mist
Summary: Mail and Mihael meet on a ship on the way to Ellis Island and form a bond. NO LONGER A ONESHOT! AU OOC
1. Hearts Bound for America

**I do not own Death Note or anything in this fic.**

Hearts Bound for America

**A banner for this will be on my links/pictures webpage.**

***Edit***

**Thanks to ****a reviewer who has asked to remain ****anonymous** **I have realized I have made a MAJOR error: Protestants didn't speak Gaelic and Matt is Protestant. *sigh* I'm not going to change it because I hate changing major elements of a story but oh well. I do have a plan for the final chapter where it will make sense he speaks it though.**

The sea breeze hit my face in cold blasts as I stood on the deck at the bow of the ship. The _New York_ was a giant floating piece of rust with cramped quarters and horrible living conditions. That's why I preferred to freeze out here instead of dealing with all of those people in that cramped little area. But I heard it's worth it. That America is a land of dreams and freedom. I clutched my rosary tighter as the ship lurched. "Please keep us safe Father" I muttered. Just then I heard a noise behind me.

"Hey wat're you doing out here? Aren't you cold?" I turned and saw the person addressing me had red hair and a striped shirt like he was from prison. He had some odd goggles that were probably stolen from a factory over his eyes and was wearing a vest not a jacket. "You speak English?" I noticed he had an accent from the island of Ireland.

"Yes I speak English" I said in my partly British partly Austria-Hungarian accent. "What's it to you?"

He looked me over then shrugged. "You looked lonely." He took out a cigarette tin and used a match and the handrail at the edge of the deck to light one up. I doubted it would stay lit long.

"So why are you here?" I asked with a crinkled nose.

"If you mean on the deck then it's to smoke. If you mean on the way to America then… well I don't want to be caught up in the upcoming rebellion. I'm not against having our own country but I'd rather not deal with all those Catholics."

I snarled murderously "what's wrong with Catholics?" and got right in his face while trying to ignore the smoke smell.

He looked frightened then saw the beads of my rosary leading to where it tucked into my jacket. "N-nothing. Not a darn thing" he said quickly. I could see through the goggles he avoided eye contact then blurted "I'm Mail Jeevas."

I stared at him then said "Mihael Keehl" backing up a bit.

He took a drag of his soggy yet amazingly still lit cigarette and blew the smoke to the side. "You're not British I can tell. Where are you from?"

"Austria-Hungary. I hate the way my homeland is behaving in the war so I want to leave and go far away from it." I looked at him waiting for a reaction.

"So you're a deserter like me then." He flicked his finished cigarette over the handrail.

"I'm not a deserter" I snarled "since the war shouldn't exist anyway. I don't back down from real fights." He looked at my shoulder-length hair and feminine features but wisely chose not to comment.

Just then the ship lurched and I was hurtled on top of him and we fell to the wet deck. "We have to get inside" I said as I got up. I noticed he was blushing madly.

"O-ok." We entered the door to the hull then went down to steerage where all the cabins were. The ship was still madly shaking and my cabin (that I shared with 11 others) was one floor below meaning I would have to risk another set of stairs. "This is my cabin" he said gesturing to the door. "Where is yours?"

"Next floor down."

He opened the door and pulled me inside. I fought the urge to smack him for pulling me around. He took me to the tiny bunk bed he was provided and gestured for me to lie next to him. I glared but the ship lurched again and I was tossed on top of him. With a growl I climbed in the too-small bed and continued glaring at him. He smiled obliviously. I heard a child start to cry and a man began coughing and I cursed the horrible trip for what seemed like the millionth time. Eventually the lurching stopped but I felt rather warm lying on top of him in that cramped space, warmer than I had in weeks. Against my will my eyes shut and I fell asleep.

I awoke to a soft voice singing in my ear "_'S iomaí oíche fliuch is fuar. Thug mé cuairt is mé liom féin nó go ráinig mé san áit. Mar a raibh grá geal mo chléibh_-" the voice cut off and felt Mail shift underneath me and I understood he had been the one singing. "Oh you're awake! Good I think it's almost time to eat."

"Great" I muttered sarcastically.

"I wish we had some whiskey" he sighed wistfully as I got off him. "I really need a drink after all this."

"Whiskey does sound appealing" I agreed. We went with the masses to the galley where they gave us some hard bread and unidentifiable meat along with a cup of dirty water. "I think I've had more water in my clothes than stomach for weeks" I muttered and Mail choked on a bit of his water where he was sitting next to me.

"Good one" he laughed out as he slapped my knee. "Ah it's been a while since I had a laugh."

I forced myself to eat some of my food. "What do you think it will be like? America I mean" I asked as I turned to him.

He pursed his lips and thought then said "I don't know honestly. I don't know how true the rumors of glory and riches are. Personally I'm not going to get rich through work. I'm a gambler by trade." He gave me a wink at that.

"Why am I not surprised?" I asked while failing to stop my grin. "I was in a gang. I plan to join one in America too. It's what I'm good at."

He looked at me thoughtfully as he nibbled on his bread. "We should stick together then" he decided.

"Why do you think that?"

"I'm a gambler and a smooth talker, you're a gang member. We could watch each other's backs." He looked away and blushed.

"That's not the real reason you want me to help you is it? You fancy me." I smirked smugly and he blushed a deeper red and turned to me with large eyes behind his goggles.

"How did you know? How did you know I was a male deviant?"

I rolled my eyes. "Isn't it obvious? I'm one as well. As for your offer… I accept for both reasons." He gave a huge bright grin.

Just then a little boy's voice could be heard screaming "LAND! I SEE LAND!" Everyone got up at once to go see.

I turned to Mail. "Let's be smart and collect our things first. America will still be there when we get to the deck." He nodded and we went to our cabins to collect our bags. I met him in front of his cabin and we walked up to the crowded deck and gaped in awe at our first sight of America in the distance. Slowly I reached out and took his hand. He turned to me as he gripped back. "Together" I said simply and he nodded. _Together we will take on America._

**This is for yet another challenge on Deviantart.**

**The Irish Gaelic was from the song **_**Bheir Mí Ó**_

**It means:**

_**Many's the cold and wet night  
I went out traveling on my own  
Until I reached the place  
Where the love of my heart lived.**_

**I added a link to a video with it to my links/pictures page.**

**Also for those who are confused "male deviant" is the antiquated term for a male homosexual. The reason I used that term is because my goal was to make this as historically accurate as I could. I am bound to have a few things wrong though so sorry for any errors.**


	2. Ellis Island

**I do not own Death Note or anything in this fic.**

Hearts Bound for America

**No longer a oneshot. (Obviously).**

***Edit***

**Thanks to an anonymous reviewer I have realized I have made a MAJOR error: Protestants didn't speak Gaelic and Matt is Protestant. *sigh* I'm not going to change it because I hate changing major elements of a story but oh well.**

***EDIT 2***

**I fail hardcore at math because even with a calculator I got the answer wrong. Thanks to an anonymous reviewer for the correction.**

We went to port and were escorted into the building. Ellis Island. Each footstep on American soil seemed surreal. I stood next to Mail and saw that people were being inspected and marked with chalk for flaws. I ripped off his goggles and stuffed them in his vest giving him a look to not say anything. A man in an official uniform went up to him and looked him over then passed on to me. He gave me a glance and moved on to a woman behind us who was squinting. She had obviously seen me remove Mail's goggles but she was marked with a chalk E indicating her eyesight was bad. She was escorted off; presumably to a holding area. Mail tugged on my sleeve and murmured "thanks." I nodded.

Then we were sent to line to be questioned. When a man ahead of us was asked his former profession Mail and I glanced at each other. Mail was up first. "Name?" a man in a uniform with a gray mustache asked.

"Mail Jeevas. 'M-A-I-L J-E-E-V-A-S'." The man looked at him oddly since his name was pronounced like "mile" but wrote it down.

"What is four plus four?"

"Eight" Mail answered swiftly. Obviously he was trying not to sound slow.

"How much money do you have on you?"

"18 pounds." I bit my lip because I had the same amount but the man's nod said we were safe with that amount.

"Former profession?"

"Pubkeeper." The inspector raised an eyebrow but nodded and wrote it down.

"Age?"

"19." My eyebrows raised. I hadn't asked his age before but I wasn't surprised to discover he was younger than I was.

"Country of origin?"

"Great Britian."

The man nodded. He asked a few more questions and Mail passed easily. Then it was my turn. "Name?"

"Mihael Keehl. 'M-I-H-A-E-L K-E-E-H-L." I spelled my name quickly and clearly hoping he wouldn't change it.

"What country are you from?" _Ah so he's going right for the throat then. He must have noticed my last name._

"Austria-Hungary" I said staring at him unflinchingly.

He nodded obviously impressed with my guts. "How much money do you have on you?"

"18 Pounds."

"Former profession?"

"Accountant." It was a total lie but it was a more valuable job than my original choice of delivery boy.

He gave me a skeptical look. "What is 236 minus 143?"

"Ninety three" I answered immediately while holding back a smirk. He scribbled down the equation then frowned when he realized I was right.

He cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Age?"

"20."

He drilled me with the rest of the boring questions he had asked Mail then I was directed to a place where I could exchange my money for dollars and cents. It amounted to very little. "Mihael!" I heard a voice call and I saw Mail sitting at one of the tables waving his arm at me. I smirked and went to him. "Need some cash?" he asked as he pulled out a large stack of dollar bills. He leaned in close to me and whispered in my ear "gamblers always lie about how much they have on them." He pulled back and winked. I smirked back.

"Where did you get that?" I took the stack and flipped it back and forth like a fan.

"I scammed a few people on the ship. No big deal. I mean they may not have enough to get in now but that's their problem. Guys like us have a loose moral compass am I right?"

I clutched my rosary in shame but nodded in agreement. We had to wait for quite some time before we were allowed off the island. Mail was chattering away next to me but I wasn't really paying attention. He didn't seem to care simply happy to be with me. "You know the first thing we should buy?" I cut him off.

"What?" he looked like a puppy he was so eager to know.

"Whiskey. Lots of whiskey. You _are_ a pubkeeper after all" I said with a smirk and a nudge to his shoulder.

He grinned. "I hear there's a place called Little Ireland in the city. You could live with me. It'll be great!"

"You could teach me your language." I said with a nod.

"It's called _Gaeilge_ and I'd love to teach you some." He leaned in close to my ear and said "_Tá tú go h-álainn."_

_He said it very… intimately. _"What does that mean?"

He shrugged and blushed "it means _'_you're beautiful'."

I blushed then sighed. I was going to say it. "Here is mine. _Ich habe mich in dich verliebt."_

He looked adorably confused. "What does that mean?"

I leaned into him and whispered against his ear "it means 'I have fallen in love with you'." I pulled back and saw both of our faces were on fire with a blush.

"_Tá grá agam duitse freisin_. I love you too." He looked into my eyes and I could tell he wanted to kiss me as much as I wanted to kiss him but it would blow our cover. Suddenly an officer said a ferry to the mainland arrived earlier than usual and Mail and I gathered our things and once again took hands as we got on the ferry. We gaped at Lady Liberty as we passed her. When we stepped onto the mainland Mail immediately began asking about Little Ireland until we were directed to it. It was a group of apartment buildings that weren't in great shape but as soon as Mail heard _Gaeilge_he took my hand and kissed it then said. "I'm home." I knew in that moment that I was too. So long as I had him I would _always_ be at home.


	3. A New Beninning

**I do not own Death Note or anything in this fic.**

Hearts Bound for America

A New Beginning

**About Mail speaking _Gaelige_, I was GOING to include this, but I wrote in a different direction. DX What it was going to be was, Mail was raised Catholic but hated his parents, so he rebelled and left the church to spite them. Before Mihael, he hated all Catholics because of it.**

**Anyway, enjoy the long-awaited final chapter.**

Horses clattered down the narrow dirt road with carts of apples and other fruits. A woman had a stand set up with what looked like oysters and odd-looking fish. They reeked terribly. Down an alley, a few teens could be seen throwing dice. Every so often, a building we passed would smell heavily of cheap perfume or of delicious food. Most were wooden with a few grimy brick exceptions. Many of the signs were in _Gailege_. As Mail and I passed, he was taking in the sights and yammering away. I, however, was focused on the child following us. Sure enough, the child darted forward with a knife. I grabbed his hand and twisted the knife into my own, then pulled him in a headlock. Mail stopped chattering abruptly and gaped open-mouthed.

"What's your name?" I growled to the frightened, scrawny, filthy boy who looked no older than eleven.

He narrowed his frightened eyes. "None of your business you filthy German!" He made to spit at me, but I released his neck, and grabbed his hair, then put the knife to his throat.

"Do it. Make my day," I said in a chilling tone. His eyes grew wider than they were before.

"É-éamonn. My name is Éamonn," he stammered.

"Éamonn what?" I demanded.

"McCulloch." He swallowed thickly and glanced down at the knife I had yet to remove.

I inspected the knife and mused leisurely. "This is a nice knife. I doubt you stole it, therefore you work for someone. Whom?" I fixed him with a piercing gaze, and he trembled violently. I pressed the knife until he bled a bit. Mail looked ready to intervene when Éamonn cracked.

"His name is Thomas O'Connell! He's the leader of the gang!"

I tugged on his hair. "Which gang and where?"

He glanced to the side nervously then muttered, "_An Dhorn Salach_." I glanced at Mail.

"It means The Dirty Fist." Éamonn's eyes widened realizing Mail understood _Gaelige_.

I looked at Éamonn again and he said, "They meet at _An __Iasc Óir_ Tavern right around now. That's all I know I swear!" His eyes teared up. "That's all now please let me go."

I looked at him evenly. "Tell me how to get there and I'll let you go. I'm keeping the knife though."

He looked crestfallen but muttered, "Down the way you were headed. There will be a green sign with a golden fish right next to a bakery. Go in the green front door and you're there." I nodded and let him go. He ran without a backward glance.

Mail looked at me pensively. "Are you sure you want to go there? They're not going to take kindly to you, and we'll be outnumbered." I gave him a flat look and he sighed. "Let's go then. Just keep your mouth shut at first."

I rolled my eyes. "Give me a bit of credit please." We went to where Éamonn had specified and entered the door. Inside was a wooden room with wooden rectangular tables and some stools. There was a small bar that Mail started to head to until I went to a table against the wall. We drew attention with our cargo bags and filthy clothes. It couldn't be more obvious we were new to here. A girl no older than thirteen approached us in a brown dress with a navy plaid shawl.

"What would you two like to drink?"

"We'll have two whiskeys please. Do you have any food?" Mail asked, and my stomach clenched at the thought of decent food.

"We have some buns and chicken. We'll need money up front though." the girl said. "Twenty four cents total for both of you."

Mail and I exchanged glances, then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter. "Keep the change," he said and winked.

Her eyes widened and she hurried to get our orders. There were some men at another table who were eying us. I decided to eat before the inevitable confrontation. I did not need my food poisoned. It wasn't too long before she came back with our meals. It took a lot for Mail and I to eat at a relatively regular pace. When we had finished the food and were on the last of our whiskey, one of the members of the group at the other table approached us. He was huge with bright orange hair and blackened palms. "You're new here eh?" I peered over my rim with a blank gaze and nodded.

"You wouldn't happen to know of any flats renting out would you?" Mail asked.

The man looked at him then me. "Mary McDonnell has some down the way. Ask around. Anyone can point you to her."

I nodded. "Thank you," I said and there was a tense silence. The man's eyes widened and he reached out to punch me. As he leaned forward I grabbed his hair and whipped out the knife to his neck. The others ran up to us but realized I would kill him if they attacked.

"That's the knife I gave Éamonn," one of the men said shakily. "Where is he?" he yelled furiously.

"Somewhere safe, save for a small cut on his neck. He'll probably come here soon," I said airily. Mail was still next to me. He was obviously calculating things as they went. I looked through the group and saw a man who seemed to be the leader. I stood up, dragging my captive with me, and turned to him. "I want in. I have the experience, obviously."

"Who do you think you are?" he growled.

I smirked. "The name's Mello." Mail didn't show any reaction to that. "As for whom I am… I'm either your new best asset, or new worst enemy. Your choice." He grit his teeth. I faked a yawn. "I'm bored. If that's the way you want it then-" I started to move the hand with the knife and they all yelled in protest.

"I'll let you in! Just… leave him be," the boss said. I smirked and slowly let him go. I was on my guard, knowing full well his words could mean nothing. Just then a small figure appeared at the door. Éamonn looked on with wide eyes and ran up to the man I held hostage.

"Papa! Papa, are you alright?" The man nodded and pulled Éamonn to him. The others noted I hadn't lied about him.

"Well, _I _for one think we should get a room before dark," Mail said as he stood. "_G__o raibh maith agat__fir__. _Thank you men." He added the translation for my benefit. He grabbed our bags and left.

As I was leaving, while on my guard, I heard a man's voice call, "Tell her Liam McCulloch sent you." I froze then half turned my head to see the man I held hostage looking at me. I nodded to tell him I understood. I hesitated then returned to them and held out the knife. Liam took it with a grateful nod.

"_Vielen dank_. Many thanks" I said. He nodded back at me. Éamonn looked curious at the language, despite his earlier sentiments. I turned and headed out; glad despite the bad patch at least one man was accepting of me and my outsider status. Well, one man and a child.

Mail was waiting just outside. "Well that was nice of him." I saw he had lit a cigarette in my absence. "Heh, who knows, maybe they'll end up learning a bit from you." He turned his head to look me in the yes. "So how do you say I am one crafty some of a bitch?"

"_Ich __bin einer __listigen __Hurensohn_," I replied cheekily, with a grin.

He chuckled."I walked right into that one." He blew some smoke. "I noticed you no longer have the knife."

I shrugged. "A peace offering can't hurt." He nodded then went up to a woman and asked something. I notice he said Mary's name. The woman jerked her thumb towards a building right next to us and Mail and I exchanged glances then went in the building.

It had a long hallway with no decorations other than some blue-gray paint. An old woman in clothes not too different than the waitress' was behind a desk with some wooden boxes that had keys and mail, in them behind her. "Madam," Mail began, "We're here to purchase a room."

"Liam McCulloch sent us," I added. Her eyes widened then narrowed in suspicion. "We met he and Éamonn today and they referred us to you." She realized I was telling the truth since I knew Éamonn's name.

"I have a room with two beds on the second floor for three dollars a month." Her lips were a bit tight as she said that but I could tell she was offering us something better than if we had just walked in.

"That's fine," Mail said. She saw him crush his cigarette to extinguish, it but showed no reaction.

"I'll show you the way then." She retrieved a key from an empty box on the second out of three tiers. She led us down the hall and up some rickety wooden stairs, then down another hall to a door. It had the number 206 on it. She inserted the key and let us in. It had two beds and a desk with a chair and an oil lamp. The beds looked relatively comfortable and were fully made already. Mail pulled out three dollars and handed them to her. She gave him the key and left.

Mail locked the door then turned to me. I tackled him into a kiss. It felt so _right_. Night was falling so we both stripped down to our knickers and got in the same bed. "_Oíche mhaith a stor_," he said as he nuzzled close to me. "Goodnight my love."

"_Gute Nacht mein libeling_," I whispered, as he had already fallen asleep. _Good night my darling._

**_Zwei Seelen und ein Gedank, _****_zwei Herzen, und ein Schlag._**

Two souls, one thought, two hearts, one beat.

**_An áit a bhuil do chroí is ann a thabharfas do chosa thú._**

Your feet will bring you to where your heart is.


End file.
